(AP) -- New York Democrats have been on a winning streak, and in Tuesday's primary, their chief goal is to maintain momentum as they take aim at picking off more Republican officeholders in November's general election.
This year, with no statewide seats up for grabs, the biggest prizes on the primary ballot are congressional seats in the House of Representatives. Some of those openings are due to long-awaited retirements; one, in Staten Island, came after Republican Rep. Vito Fossella was charged with driving drunk and then admitted having a secret child with a woman other than his wife.
As shocking as the Fossella revelations were, they are actually only a small part of the New York GOP's woes. The long-term statewide trends are far more damaging: Republicans have been reduced to just six of 29 House seats in New York, having lost three in the 2006 election.
"The irony is that New York was always a kind of political backwater in national congressional elections, because it was hard to lose your seat if you were an incumbent in New York," said Rep. Steve Israel, a Long Island Democrat who recruits House candidates.
"Now, New York has become a battleground. You've got six Republicans and three Democratic incumbents, so we've got nine total seats that are competitive. That makes New York a center of gravity, politically."
Israel insists the primary is "irrelevant" to their chances of picking up more seats in November, but several promising Democrats have already expended a great deal of money and energy heading into Tuesday's contest:
- In Fossella's district, the 13th, comprised mostly of Staten Island, the hangover effect of the congressman's messy personal life is a primary in both parties.
"It was like a meteor hit the district," said Brooklyn Democrat Steve Harrison, who challenged Fossella in 2006 and this time is facing off in the primary against Democratic party bosses' chosen candidate, Staten Island city councilman Michael McMahon.
Harrison said the expected low-turnout will work to his advantage as he brings out his more left-leaning supporters.
On the Republican side, the tumult didn't stop with Fossella's departure. Several top-tier GOP candidates declined to run for the seat, and the man the party eventually settled on, Frank Powers, died unexpectedly.
That leaves an internal Republican contest between former state assemblyman Bob Straniere and local doctor, Jamshad Wyne.
"I have an understanding of the issues and my opponent has none," charged Straniere. "The only support he has is his own checkbook."
- In the 21st district centered around Albany and Troy, five Democrats are vying to replace retiring Democrat Michael McNulty. Of the five, former state assemblyman Paul Tonko and former Hillary Rodham Clinton staffer Tracey Brooks hold the biggest advantages. Having three other candidates - Phil Steck, Darius Shahinfar, and Joseph Sullivan - in what could be a low-turnout primary could dilute the leaders' votes and lead to a surprise result. Whoever wins the primary is almost certain to capture the seat in November.
- The 26th district, stretching from the Buffalo suburbs to the outskirts of Rochester, is witnessing another rough-and-tumble political season. Republican Tom Reynolds is retiring, and there is a three-way race among Democrats seeking to take his place. Jon Powers would like to become the second Iraq war veteran elected to Congress, but he has been slugging it out with millionaire Jack Davis, a strident opponent of free trade in an area that has been hard-hit by manufacturing losses.
A third candidate, Alice Kryzan, is also in the mix but has not generated the same degree of attention - or heat - as Powers and Davis.
In both the western New York seat and the Staten Island race, Democratic officials would like to see their chosen candidates, Powers and McMahon, emerge strong enough to win a general election in traditionally Republican-leaning districts.
- In Brooklyn's 10th congressional district, longtime lawmaker Edolphus Towns is fending off another primary challenge from someone claiming he is out of touch with his constituents' needs.
Towns is challenged by Kevin Powell, a writer, activist, and former cast member of the inaugural season of MTV's "Real World," in which an unlikely collection of young people are filmed living together in varying degrees of disharmony.
As in the 21st district, the Democratic primary winner is practically guaranteed a victory in November in the largely Democratic district.
(Copyright ©2008 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
